It is frequently commented that the belief that we are the only technical civilization in the galaxy is akin to beliefs that Earth was the center of the universe. I disagree completely. The anthropocentric view in my mind is that our intelligence is some manifest destiny of evolution rather than some fluke like the monstrous wingspans of some prehistoric flying animals that are no longer matched by existing birds. Human evolution was stagnant for long periods only to proceed rapidly through several "phase changes" which should clearly show IMO that very specific conditions were needed to push us upward in intelligence not some general "more intelligence is better" survival advantage. That seemingly obvious advantage comes at a high energy cost which is a survival disadvantage.

Why does this debate matter to me? I think it's because I believe we should look to ourselves to solve all our problems and not some higher or more evolved intelligence. It's also that I think the galaxy is wide open for humans and that it is a matter of opportunity and long term survival rather than destiny that we get out there. As Elon Musk states it we have the chance to make a more significant evolutionary advance in Earth life than moving from the see to land - going from one planet to many.

Regards,
Mark